


Dawn Breaks

by mysteriousphoenix



Category: Bridgerton (TV), Bridgerton Series - Julia Quinn
Genre: F/M, Honeymoon, Married Couple, Morning After, Morning Cuddles, newlyweds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-12 19:27:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29015835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mysteriousphoenix/pseuds/mysteriousphoenix
Summary: Penelope wakes the morning after her wedding. She didn't expect waking up next to Colin would affect her so...
Relationships: Colin Bridgerton/Penelope Featherington
Comments: 24
Kudos: 186





	Dawn Breaks

**Author's Note:**

> My first Polin fic! I love these characters and I am excited to write about them. As soon as I finished their book, I was hooked.

The first rays of morning light began to light the room and, unused to the dawn breaking through the curtains that she must have forgotten to close last night, Penelope blinked awake. She knew it must have been very early, and her thoughts were still clouded with the haze of sleep. Her body was tired, almost aching. She took a deep breath, intending to roll over and try to doze for a few more hours until her ladies’ maid came to wake her. Sleep sounded heavenly, indeed.

Her legs stretched out beneath the soft sheets, and it was then that she realized something felt different. The texture of the sheets, the softness of the featherdown mattress, the angle of the early morning sun cascading in through the window… She opened her eyes and her sleepy thoughts aligned almost immediately, jolting her awake. She was Penelope Bridgerton now. She had been married yesterday.

Colin laid at her side.

This was her life, but part of her still wondered if this was all a wonderful dream. 

After years of loving him, after years of pining and waiting, dances of pity and obligation, standing to the side while every young woman of her age was married off... here she was. Colin Bridgerton had chosen her for his wife. 

The part of her that still lingered inside, that child of sixteen who loved unconditionally without understanding what love was, wanted to pinch herself to make sure this was real. Penelope grinned to herself. This was _very_ real. The past month had been real. Last night had certainly been real.

His hair was wild from sleep, it settled across his forehead boyishly and unstyled. His lashes were long and fanned across his still tanned cheeks as he slept. His lips were slightly parted and he breathed deeply, evenly as he slept. As Penelope’s eyes traveled down his form she realized that, while she had decided to don one of her delicate, ivory nightgowns from her trousseau chest before climbing into bed in the early hours of the morning, Colin had fallen asleep as he was following their wedding night activities. The white sheet had fallen to his waist, and she was privy to a very lovely view of his shoulders and back. 

Her emotions began to overwhelm her as she took in the sight before her. She had never awoken next to someone before, and the fact that the person she was waking up next to was Colin was mind-boggling. Throughout their short engagement, she had been looking forward to the wedding night, for being in their own home, and loving each other openly without any barriers or worry. 

If their first time together had been about their declaration of love for each other, last night had been about pure pleasure. They had not held back. Penelope, inexperienced as she was, had been curious and determined to give back to her husband every pleasure he had given to her. It had been a wonderful and memorable night. Both newlyweds had fallen into bed spent and giddy with happiness. 

She could feel the tightness of her muscles, their pleasant ache after the exertions of the previous night. Stretching again, Penelope rolled onto her back and looked up at the ceiling. She smiled widely, still not fully believing that her life was reality. How, after so many years, did she end up here? The love she had for the man sleeping at her side overwhelmed her and she felt tears pick at the corners of her eyes. He may not be the perfect man she had dreamed of throughout the past eleven years, the Lord knew that she had seen many sides of him that she hadn’t known existed in the past several weeks, but it made him even more desirable to her. His perfection had always been overwhelming to her, but suddenly he was entirely human. He was troubled and conflicted, a bit spoiled, and had a fierce temper that ran under the surface, hidden away. He was a wonderful puzzle and, while their short engagement held many trials that had upended their emotions and caused tension, the moments in between had drawn her in. 

She thought she fell in love with Colin when she was days away from turning sixteen. She learned what love truly was in the past month since Colin had reentered her life as a close friend. It was as if they had been given a new start, and in her heart, she knew that things had happened just as they were supposed to. They both drifted alone for so long, longing for the fulfillment that could be found in each other, a home together, the family they would become. They were truly lucky.

Penelope felt a tear roll down her cheekbone and into the soft hairs just above her ear. A soft whisper of fabric caught her attention and she looked over at Colin. His eyes were open and he was watching her beneath sleep-heavy lids. 

“Hello,” he whispered softly, the corners of his mouth quirking into a lazy smile. His eyes blinked slowly as he watched her and he took a deep breath in and released it slowly. Penelope turned her head toward her new husband. 

“Good morning,” she whispered back, rolling to her side and tucking a hand under her pillow. The movement caused the white, cotton sheet to fall away from her shoulder, exposing the delicate tie that held the garment on her body. Colin reached over slowly to tug the fabric back into place, but he did not remove his hand. His thumb caressed the small sliver of skin that was left exposed, sending shivers through her body. It was that sense of intimacy and familiarity that she was beginning to grow accustomed to. Whispered words, small touches, and fleeting glances, each reaffirming her decision to call this man hers and hers alone. 

His green eyes were admiring her now, sleep had fallen away from his face and she only found contentment in his gaze. “It’s early, my dearest,” he said to her in a soft voice, “why are you awake at this hour?” He continued his ministrations and gooseflesh spread over her arm as her body responded to the slight tickling sensation. 

“We forgot to close the curtains last night,” Penelope replied with a grin. Colin chuckled and his wide smile matched hers once he caught her double meaning.

“I wasn’t thinking of the curtains last night, I can assure you. I was rather…”

“-Distracted?” she offered cheekily, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks.

“Mmm...yes. That sounds accurate,” he quipped as he pushed himself up onto his elbows and slid over so that they were face to face, only inches apart. His hand that had been on her shoulder now found the curve of her cheek. His thumb ran over the fading tear track above her cheekbone and he leaned down for a kiss. Softly, tenderly his lips touched her own. It was far from the searing kisses they had shared the night before. This was an expression of happiness and contentment. She could feel the heat of his skin as his chest brushed her own, the thin layers of cotton and satin the only barriers between them. He pulled away slowly, gazing down at her with a smile. “I suppose I don’t mind waking early, at least this time.” Colin settled himself down to the mattress once more, his head falling ungracefully to lay on Penelope’s pillow, his forehead nearly touching her own.

“I’m sorry I woke you,” she replied. She lifted her arm to loosely wrap around his waist, holding his body lightly against her own. 

“No harm done,” Colin leaned forward, the tip of his nose just barely touching hers, “this way I get a few more hours with my beautiful new wife before I have to share her with the world.”

Penelope felt her smile widen. Her heart fluttered as she tightened her hold on him slightly. The shift in her face caused a forgotten tear to fall down her cheek.

“Are you crying?” Colin asked, his playful mood shifting to concern as he leaned away slightly to observe her. He thumbed away the errant tear before running his fingers through the soft hairs at her temple. Shaking her head softly, Penelope leaned forward slightly so that they were face to face once more.

“No, not really,” she whispered. “I’m just a little overwhelmed this morning.” Her fingers trailed up Colin’s spine, her cold fingertips a contrast to his heated skin. She watched him close his eyes in response, not fully believing she could have this effect on him. “I woke up and I was...well,” she inhaled, the scent of vanilla and soap with a hint of musk surrounded her. She closed her eyes, collecting her words into a coherent idea before opening them to meet her husband’s concerned gaze. “I couldn’t believe that after so many years of wanting you, that you are here. I woke up next to you, you married me. I—I still feel like I’m dreaming and that I could wake up at any moment.”

Colin shook his head as he pulled away to look at Penelope’s face. “I was an idiot for not seeing you for who you were all those years…”

“That’s not what I’m saying,” she interrupted. “What I’m trying to say is that...I have yearned for this moment for half of my life, but... I am thankful that we came together when we did. Life never felt complete for either of us,” she reached up to slide her fingers into his thick, chestnut hair, “but we needed those years to find ourselves before we could find each other. As lonely as we have been, I’m glad to have you _now_.”

“It doesn’t mean that I don’t constantly wish I had realized that you were who I was meant to be with a decade ago.”

“Well,” she began, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him to lean over her, “how about instead of worrying about the past decade we concentrate on the decade ahead?” Colin, hummed in agreement, his eyes closing as her fingernails raked over his scalp softly. He leaned down to kiss her. This kiss was more pressure and feeling; his lips slid over hers in what was beginning to become a practiced dance. He captured her bottom lip between his own and his fingers began to work the knot on the shoulder of her dressing gown. As the thin strips of fabric gave way, her lips parted in a silent gasp.

“Can the next decade start right now?” Colin mumbled into her jawline as his lips trailed across her cheek and to the creamy column of her neck. Penelope’s eyes closed as she lost herself in the sensations.

“Oh, yes. Please,” she replied breathily. Colin chuckled into her skin in response as he began working the satin bow on her opposite shoulder.

“Excellent,” he replied as the second knot gave way. _Some things_ , he thought, _were worth waking up early_.

The early morning sun continued to stream in the window of their bedroom as the light grew in the east over Bedford Square. The curtains were entirely forgotten once again by the room’s occupants. 

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr if that is your thing! [@themysteriousphoenix ](https://themysteriousphoenix.tumblr.com/)


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